Index for cocks.



.P. M-UELLER AND A. C. SCHUERMANN.

INDEX FOR COCKS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. e. um.

1,319,891 Patented Oct. 28,1919.-

E I E l F: E E T: E E: /3 A? UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

PHILIP MUELLER AND ANTON C. SCI-IUERMANN, OF. DECATUR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS 'I'O.

' ADOLZPH MUELLER, TRUSTEE,-OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

INDEX FOR oooKs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 6, 1917. Serial No. 200,595.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, PHILIP MUELLER and ANTON C. SOHUERMANN, citizens of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Indexes for Cocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to index buttons for cocks, faucets and other places where an index button may be used; the princlpal object of the invention being to secure the button to the handle or such other convenient part of an object that after being fastened in place, the button may be turned until the word or words, letters, or characters thereon are brought into an upright or convenient position for reading.

The use of index buttons on the handles of cocks and faucets are well known, but as a rule these buttons are attached either directly to the handle or to some part that has to be screwed into place. It has been found that however much care is exercised to machine and thread the parts, and place the button in position thereon, when said parts are screwed into place, the characters on the buttons are, more often than not, out-of register, that is to say, out of position to read properly, or out of symmetrical relation to the faucet. To overcome this unsatisfactory condition the index buttons in the present invention are fixed in carriers or holders and each carrier or holder is secured in place by a suitable fastening which permits the carrier being turned, after all the parts are assembled, to properly position the index button.

The index buttons are usually and preferably made of porcelain, circular in shape with a convex top and a concave bottom. These buttons may, if desired, be made of other .material and in different shapes, the one described, however, isa common form. At'the present time,each button is usually fastened in its supporting part by burnishing or spinning an annular fin, formed for the purpose on said part, over the edge of the button, and because of the fact that the buttons are usually irregular in shape on their peripheries, not perfectly circular, and in many instances have small rough projections thereon, numbers of the buttons are broken, cracked and chipped while being secured to the 'faucet handle or in attempteachl mounted in a cup sh'aped carrier or v holder which latter is frictionally connected to'the faucet handle or other. part in such manner that it may be rotated by the fingers or "a suitabletool until the index is in a properposition to be read.

With this object in view the invention consists of the novel combination and ar rangement of partshereinafter described,"

PatentedOct. 28,1919.

claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which-,-

Figure 1 is a top View of one form of,

faucet handle with an index button secured thereto in the improved manner.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the preferred manner of attaching the index button carrier or holder to the faucet handle.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 2, showing modified forms of the invention.

Similar reference characters are used for the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the upper part or member of a faucet'handle of that type shown in Letters Patent No. 963,166, granted June 5, 1910. The invention is shown in connection with this former handle merely by way of illustration, as it is equally applicable to handles of many other kinds and to objects other than cock or faucet handles.

The member 10 in the present instance is dome shaped, hollow and formed with an axial opening 11 therethrough surrounded exteriorly' by" an annular, concentric fin 12 of greater diameter than the opening 11.

The index button 13 is preferably made of porcelain, circular in shape with a con cavebottom and a convex top on which the index characters are displayed, as in Fig. 1.- The button 13 is seated in a shallow cupshaped carrier or holder 14, the upstanding rim 15 of which is quite thin and sharp, like a fin, and having a fiat bottom 16bothwithin and without. Iffounds desirable, the bottom 16 may be made with curved or other shaped faces as is apparent] The index button 13 is placed in the cup-shaped holder 16' and the short rim orfin 15 burnished or: spun over the peripheral edge or side of the button at the bottom thereof. To? more securely fasten the index button, the side is preferably made with a slight flare, as shown. Should an index button break, crack or chip while being secured in the carrier or holder 14, the loss would be very slight; far less than were the button connected directly to the handle in which case the latter would have to be thrown away, or time lost in removing the defective button and straightening the fin 15.

After the index button has been secured in its carrier or holder 14, the latter is inserted within the fin 12 on the handle and said fin burnished or stamped neatly around the button carrier or holder. Preferably, the handle within the fin 12 is recessed, as at 17, to provide a deeper and more secure seat for the index button holder 16, but this is not absolutely necessary.

The index button holder or carrier 16 may be fastened on the handlein various ways, as shown in Figs. 2 to 5, the preferred form being that illustrated in Fig. 2. As shown in this figure, the button holder 16 is formed with a central hole 18 through which is placed a headed rivet 19 before the button is fastened in place, the head of said rivet occupying the space between the, bottom of the holder and the concave under surface of the index button. The rivet 19 projects into the handle 10 and through a perforated flat spring washer or disk 20, greater in diameter than the opening 11 and bearing against the inner surface of the handle around the opening. An annular peripheral groove 21 is made in the end of the rivet 19 in such relation to the disk or washer 20 that a ring 22, preferably a split ring, when seated in said groove holds the index button carrier 14. very firmly in place on the handle by the resiliency of the washer. This connection being a frictional one, the button holder 14 may be turned in its seat after the handle has been fastened on the faucet to bring the index or characters on the button in any desired position with relation to the faucet.

In Fig. 3, the index button carrier or holder l l is also provided with a central hole 18- and an inwardly projecting concentric hollow rivet or eyelet 23 struck from or machined on the button holder 14: or projecting through the central hole 18 A hollow washer or disk 20 is placed over the rivet or eyelet 23 and upset, or spread out over the washer as at 24 until the latter exerts suflicient spring pressure to retain the index button and its holder or carrier in the handle.

Fig. 4 shows another means for fastening the index button holder or carrier 14 to the handle. In this construction, the index button holder 14: has adepending central lug or stud 25 having a diametrical hole 26 there through for a spring pin or rod 27 longer than the diameter of the opening 11 and which when inserted through the hole 26 in the lug, projects at both ends beyond the opening and bears with a spring pressure against the inside of the handle, thus holding the button carrier in its seat. In this form of the invention the perforated washer is omitted, the pin or rod being sufliciently resilient.

In Fig. 5, the index button holder or carrier 14 is the same as in Fig. l, but in this instance a perforated washer 20 is employed and a short pin 28 extends through the hole 26 in the lug, the ends of the pin projecting only far enough to bear on the washer and tension it.

From the above description it is apparent that a neat, firm, strong and economical means for fastening index buttons on faucets and other objects have been produced. The index buttons can be burnished in their holders or carriers at little expense and at slight cost in time and breakage of buttons; also, the means for attaching the index button holders or carriers to the handles is cheap and simple and may be performed very expeditiously. The index button is thus securely connected to the desired part without danger of the tool, operating on the handle to burnish the fin thereon over the button carrier or holder, contacting with the more or less frangible button. The frictional engagement between the index button carrier and its supporting member is sufficient to prevent accidental turning of the button while permitting the same to be rotated by proper means to adjust the index.

What we claim is:

1. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button, a flanged holder for the same in which said index button is rigidly fixed by said flange, a faucet part, and means for frictionally retaining said holder in contact with said faucet part to prevent accidental rotation while permitting rotatable adjustment of the holder and index button relative to saidfaucet part.

2. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button, a shallow flanged holder for the same in which said index button is rigidly fixed by said flange, a faucet part, and resilient means adapted to retain said holder in frictional contact with said faucet part to prevent accidental rotation while permitting rotatable adjustment of the holder and index button upon said faucet part.

3. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button, a flanged holder for the same in which said index button is rigidly fixed by said flange having a depending stud on its under side, a faucet handle, and means for resiliently attaching said stud to said faucet handle in such manner as to retain said holder in frictional contact with said handle against accidental rotation while permitting rotatable adjustment of the holder and index button relative to the faucet handle.

a. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button, a holder for the same having a button gripping flange on its upper side and a stud on its iuider side, a faucet handle having an upstanding flange or fin Within which flange said holder is rotatably seated and a stud receiving opening, and resilient means engaging said stud below said handle to lock said holder against accidental rotation while permitting rotatable adjustment of said holder and button relative to said handle.

5. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button, a holder for the same having a stud on its under side and a peripheral flange or fin on its upper side engaging the index button to fix it in the holder, a faucet handle having an upstanding flange or fin within which flange said holder is rotatably seated and a central opening through which the stud projects, a perforated resilient disk on said stud and bearing at its periphery against the under side of said handle, for securing said disk to said stud under tension frictionally to retain said index button holder against accidental rotation while per- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for mitting rotatable adjustment of said holder and index button relative to said handle.

6. In an adjustable index for faucets, an index button; a holder for the same having a stud on its under side and a peripheral flange or fin for fastening the index button on its upper side; a faucet handle having a holder seat, a central opening through Whlch said stud projects, and an upstanding flange or fin surrounding said seat within which flange said holder is seated and rotatably retained by the flange; a perforated resilient disk on said stud bearing against the handle; and means connected to the stud and engaging the under side of said handle for holding said disk under tension frictionally to engage the index button holder with the handle seat against accidental rotation while permitting rotatable adjustment of said holder and index with said handle.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP MUELLER. ANTON C. SCI-IUERMANN.

VVitnessesr Roy HUGHES, W. J. KELLY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

